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Jesus Above School: A Worldview Framework for Navigating the Collision Between the Gospel and Christian Schools
All of us deeply need Jesus – not only for salvation, but in every area of our lives. This is why the gospel is good news; because there’s real hope for real need. Clinging to this conviction, Jesus Above School unpacks and applies the umbrella question, “What difference does the gospel make?” within the Christian school context, even though this will likely put many of our prevailing assumptions at risk.
Jesus Above School provides Christian educators with a clearer understanding of what it means to “do school” in light of a profound commitment to the radical gospel of Jesus. Tragically, many Christian educators are ill-equipped to adequately articulate and apply the implications of a biblical worldview in their thought and practice. As a result, many Christian schools struggle to set themselves apart as truly distinctive because they’re not aligned with the wonderfully unique truths of God’s gospel.
To help, Jesus Above School offers a framework of categories and questions which guide an organized approach to becoming more gospel-centered by shaping both what is taught and the way the school goes about teaching throughout the entire ecosystem of the Christian school culture. These categories are broad enough to recalibrate philosophies and commitments while still being nimble enough to capture the myriad issues facing Christian schools in the day-to-day.
“Private Christian schools play a vital role in American Christianity today. However, as Noah Brink observes in this important book, too many schools recognize Jesus in name more than they engage him in the educational process. Brink’s use of orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy offers a particularly helpful insight into worldview education to help Christian schools do just what the book place Jesus above school.”
Ed Stetzer, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor, Wheaton College
“Noah Brink has issued a much-needed clarion call for all Christian schools. In this post-Covid era when many schools are experiencing enrollment growth, it is critical for all Christian educators to thoughtfully align all practices in concert with biblical truth - and we all fall short of that goal. ‘What difference does the gospel make’ is an ungirding theme in this excellent resource - a must read for all Christian educators for such a time as this. You will be challenged, enlightened, and encouraged.”
James L. Drexler, Ph.D.
Dean of the Covenant College Graduate School of Education
Jesus Above School provides Christian educators with a clearer understanding of what it means to “do school” in light of a profound commitment to the radical gospel of Jesus. Tragically, many Christian educators are ill-equipped to adequately articulate and apply the implications of a biblical worldview in their thought and practice. As a result, many Christian schools struggle to set themselves apart as truly distinctive because they’re not aligned with the wonderfully unique truths of God’s gospel.
To help, Jesus Above School offers a framework of categories and questions which guide an organized approach to becoming more gospel-centered by shaping both what is taught and the way the school goes about teaching throughout the entire ecosystem of the Christian school culture. These categories are broad enough to recalibrate philosophies and commitments while still being nimble enough to capture the myriad issues facing Christian schools in the day-to-day.
“Private Christian schools play a vital role in American Christianity today. However, as Noah Brink observes in this important book, too many schools recognize Jesus in name more than they engage him in the educational process. Brink’s use of orthodoxy, orthopraxy, and orthopathy offers a particularly helpful insight into worldview education to help Christian schools do just what the book place Jesus above school.”
Ed Stetzer, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor, Wheaton College
“Noah Brink has issued a much-needed clarion call for all Christian schools. In this post-Covid era when many schools are experiencing enrollment growth, it is critical for all Christian educators to thoughtfully align all practices in concert with biblical truth - and we all fall short of that goal. ‘What difference does the gospel make’ is an ungirding theme in this excellent resource - a must read for all Christian educators for such a time as this. You will be challenged, enlightened, and encouraged.”
James L. Drexler, Ph.D.
Dean of the Covenant College Graduate School of Education
310 pages, Paperback
Published January 18, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 20, 2024
Good introduction to combining worldview and Christian education.
"We need to more simply define the Christian worldview because we're confusing outsiders by our internal confusion" (xi).
I wrestled with one of the tensions he gave in the book. He claims that "the unstated goal of modern, traditional, evangelical schooling is to create a bunch of students who no longer need Jesus-- or so they think" (2). He revisits this multiple times in the book. At times I heartily agreed with him, but at times I wanted more clarity on the difference between independence and competence. Can't we grow in our abilities and knowledge while also growing in dependence on Christ?
Many "interested families come to the Christian school primarily for retreat and safety" (5).
Often, "the product we offer (success, college acceptance, etc.) is more conspicuous than the Jesus we offer" (5).
"What we learn from experiences depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to experience" -C. S. Lewis, Miracles; (20).
Christian worldview is "the ability to make sense of the world in light of the gospel. It's an ordering of our lives (and specifically our school missions and programs) so they might be consistent with a need for and gratitude to Jesus" (38-39).
"I can't; He can" (42).
Orthodoxy, Orthopraxy, Doxology - Right Thinking, Right Practice, Right Worship (51)
"Ask your students every day: "What did you learn about God today?" Make it a habit... Similarly, ask yourself, "What am I trying to teach students about God today/this week/in this unit? Let this recenter your approach" (67).
"We might want to reevaluate talking about doing everything for God's glory until we can do a better job of helping our communities understand what that means" (68).
"Where are the places where God is least worshiped in your school? How can you address them?" (73)
"A graduation service most publicly proclaims what the school values most... [and] Friday nights are not too far behind" (79).
"I'm called to love the author of the book I read, which means I should treat him and his words with dignity--giving him a fair shot. Before I give my students an article to read and ask them to respond to it, I need to teach them how to properly respect the text and recognize the truth they will find in it" (96, taken from Alan Jacobs' work, A Theology of Reading).
"Ironically, Joh Dewey replaces the notion of an intrinsic purpose to school with acquiring and sustaining a job" (115).
"We shouldn't be surprised that many students and their parents view the educational process sort of like a factory. There's a desired product to manufacture. That's the goal. The product is a tangible outcome, and the process is geared toward ensuring that" (116).
"We need to praise students when we see them bearing the burdens of their peers" (138).
"Help students learn to see how your classroom rules aren't just good for you, but good for them" (168).
"Grace doesn't change rules. Mercy doesn't either. Both of these deal with consequences" (170).
"Entitlement and the gospel are in stark contrast" (171).
"There's nothing neutral about education because all programs have specific ends in mind" (177).
"When God says that it's good for us to act justly and love mercy, He calls us to a life of tension" (178).
"What would schools look like if there was no sin?" (193)
"Make a list of both small and big things you could do to reduce the anxiousness of your school day and make plans for which one you want to tackle first" (205).
"Exposing students to beautiful things should be part of our restoration projects" (247).
"We need to more simply define the Christian worldview because we're confusing outsiders by our internal confusion" (xi).
I wrestled with one of the tensions he gave in the book. He claims that "the unstated goal of modern, traditional, evangelical schooling is to create a bunch of students who no longer need Jesus-- or so they think" (2). He revisits this multiple times in the book. At times I heartily agreed with him, but at times I wanted more clarity on the difference between independence and competence. Can't we grow in our abilities and knowledge while also growing in dependence on Christ?
Many "interested families come to the Christian school primarily for retreat and safety" (5).
Often, "the product we offer (success, college acceptance, etc.) is more conspicuous than the Jesus we offer" (5).
"What we learn from experiences depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to experience" -C. S. Lewis, Miracles; (20).
Christian worldview is "the ability to make sense of the world in light of the gospel. It's an ordering of our lives (and specifically our school missions and programs) so they might be consistent with a need for and gratitude to Jesus" (38-39).
"I can't; He can" (42).
Orthodoxy, Orthopraxy, Doxology - Right Thinking, Right Practice, Right Worship (51)
"Ask your students every day: "What did you learn about God today?" Make it a habit... Similarly, ask yourself, "What am I trying to teach students about God today/this week/in this unit? Let this recenter your approach" (67).
"We might want to reevaluate talking about doing everything for God's glory until we can do a better job of helping our communities understand what that means" (68).
"Where are the places where God is least worshiped in your school? How can you address them?" (73)
"A graduation service most publicly proclaims what the school values most... [and] Friday nights are not too far behind" (79).
"I'm called to love the author of the book I read, which means I should treat him and his words with dignity--giving him a fair shot. Before I give my students an article to read and ask them to respond to it, I need to teach them how to properly respect the text and recognize the truth they will find in it" (96, taken from Alan Jacobs' work, A Theology of Reading).
"Ironically, Joh Dewey replaces the notion of an intrinsic purpose to school with acquiring and sustaining a job" (115).
"We shouldn't be surprised that many students and their parents view the educational process sort of like a factory. There's a desired product to manufacture. That's the goal. The product is a tangible outcome, and the process is geared toward ensuring that" (116).
"We need to praise students when we see them bearing the burdens of their peers" (138).
"Help students learn to see how your classroom rules aren't just good for you, but good for them" (168).
"Grace doesn't change rules. Mercy doesn't either. Both of these deal with consequences" (170).
"Entitlement and the gospel are in stark contrast" (171).
"There's nothing neutral about education because all programs have specific ends in mind" (177).
"When God says that it's good for us to act justly and love mercy, He calls us to a life of tension" (178).
"What would schools look like if there was no sin?" (193)
"Make a list of both small and big things you could do to reduce the anxiousness of your school day and make plans for which one you want to tackle first" (205).
"Exposing students to beautiful things should be part of our restoration projects" (247).
May 14, 2023
This book, written by a former classmate of mine, is an interesting read for anyone in the realm of Christian education. There are a lot of great points to think on and discuss. My only critique is that at times it feels more like a sermon. I love his knowledge of theology and his understanding of the truth, but it almost feels disconnected at times, which is ironic considering that is the whole point of Christian education.
This is thorough, well thought out, and comes from someone with more experiences with Christian schools than anyone I know!
This is thorough, well thought out, and comes from someone with more experiences with Christian schools than anyone I know!
July 23, 2023
Highly recommend for Christian school educators, but also recommend for parents providing a Christian education to their children. We should all expect our schools to know what it looks like to teach from a Biblical world view as we disciple our children and teach them to properly order their affections.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews